Tykerb and turning yellow/ dark skin?

kk1 · 07-09-2008, 12:25 PM

Well I am on my third cycle of Tykerb/Zeloda/Herceptin and so far it is really easy to tolerate. No skin rash/trots/hand-foot ect. I feel great and almost even forget I am back in treatment.

However everyone who sees me comments on my dark Tan and the inside of my mouth is very yellow. I first thought jaundice but my blood work today came back with in normal range for liver enzymes and billirubin. I would have thought the billirubin and liver markers would be elevated and then I would turn yellow if I was having Heptotoxicity or my bile duct was blocked? or could this just be some type of drug induced sunlight sensitivity.

I could look like one of those canary colored Peeps in an easter basket and would not care one bit if this treatment is working without causing collateral damage elsewhere.

Anyone else have this strange side effect with Tykerb?

Joe · 07-09-2008, 12:36 PM

Found this on the net:

What side effects are common with this medicine? (Tykerb)

Diarrhea
Color changes on palms of hands or soles of feet. This is usually a reddening or darkening of the skin.
Pain or swelling of the hands and feet
Nausea or vomiting
Skin rash or itching
Tiredness or fatigue

Regards
Joe

hutchibk · 07-09-2008, 03:54 PM

I believe the yellowish skin color is due to the Xeloda... I have had friends with the same complaint. I have not had any yellowing, however.

Lani · 07-11-2008, 03:24 AM

: Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2008 Jul 4. [Epub ahead of print] Links
Analysis of dermatologic events in patients with cancer treated with lapatinib.

Lacouture ME, Laabs SM, Koehler M, Sweetman RW, Preston AJ, Di Leo A, Gomez HL, Salazar VM, Byrne JA, Koch KM, Blackwell KL.
Department of Dermatology, Northwestern University, 676 North St. Claire Street, Suite 1600, Chicago, IL, 60611-2941, USA, m-lacouture@northwestern.edu.
Purpose Dermatologic events (DEs) in patients with cancer treated with lapatinib, a small-molecule dual tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR [ErbB1]) and HER2 (ErbB2), were characterized. Patients and methods Nine clinical trials of metastatic cancer were included in this analysis. Lapatinib was administered at doses ranging from 1000 to 1500 mg/day as monotherapy (n = 928) or in combination with paclitaxel or capecitabine (n = 491). Patients not treated with lapatinib comprised the control group. Dermatologic events included hand-foot syndrome, rash, hair disorder, dry skin, pruritus/urticaria, skin disorder, skin infection, and nail disorder; DEs were characterized based on type, time to onset, severity, duration, and required interventions. Results Fifty-eight percent of patients treated with lapatinib monotherapy, 74% treated with lapatinib plus paclitaxel or capecitabine, and 53% in the control group developed DEs. Among patients receiving lapatinib monotherapy, 55% experienced grade 1/2 DEs, 3% had grade 3 DEs, and no grade 4 DEs were observed. The most common DE was rash (43%); all other events occurred in </=8% of patients. Most DEs developed between days 1 and 14 of starting treatment, with a median duration of 29 days. Three percent of DEs led to lapatinib dose reduction, 7% resulted in dose interruption, and 1% led to drug discontinuation. Conclusions Most DEs in lapatinib-treated patients present early, are mild to moderate in severity, and infrequently require dose modification or treatment interruption. Lapatinib-associated DEs appear to differ clinically from those associated with EGFR TKIs in both frequency and severity.
PMID: 18600445 [

D.W. · 07-11-2008, 01:09 PM

I have a slight blue/green tint to my eyebrows. Who knows??? So I said to my husband, "Not bluebeard, but bluebrow."

It's a mystery.

D.W.

turbo · 07-15-2008, 10:29 AM

I have been on Tykerb 1 1/2 years...no skin discoloration!

Kim in DC · 07-17-2008, 03:07 PM

I am a darkskinned African American and I have turned way darker. I have been tanning like a fool because my vitamin D was low.My onc says it's the Xeloda. She says it makes pigmintation more sensitive, especially to the sun.

Kim

Esther · 08-04-2008, 10:24 AM

Interesting thread. People have recently been commenting on how tanned I look. I normally spend quite a bit of time outdoors in sports activities, but this is beyond my usual level of tan.

I was suspecting the Tykerb, as I am on only Tykerb and Herceptin right now.

hutchibk · 08-04-2008, 10:27 AM

I tanned this year easier than I ever have in my entire life... like I just think about a tan and I have one... lol. I have been in the sun this summer a lot more than recent years, as I am trying to get all the natural Vit D that I can. I think it is a result of the Ty/Xel, too.

OzzieSue · 08-04-2008, 08:14 PM

My skin definitely turned darker while I was on T/X. I went away for a week to the beach and when I returned I was black. I looked like a dark skinned person, palms and soles of my feet pale pink and the rest very dark. Even parts of my body that didn't get the sun turned dark. Only faded about 5-6 months after treatment ended. No yellowing though.

goops · 08-25-2008, 07:57 AM

I am taking Faslowdex and Tykerb and I just noticed that the tip of one of my fingers is turning yellow. It looks like a nicotine stain.